Finnish opposition pressures government on Palestine recognition with no-confidence threat

ISTANBUL

Finland's biggest opposition party put pressure on the government by threatening to seek a no-confidence vote if it does not clarify its position on the recognition of a Palestinian state, the broadcaster YLE reported Friday.

Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Antti Lindtman told a party meeting on Thursday that they will push for a no-confidence vote against the government if it fails to clarify its position on recognizing a Palestinian state by early September.

"By last spring, it became apparent that Finland is in danger of being on the wrong side of history.

"There is at least one party in the Finnish government for which denying Palestinian rights has become a direct religious doctrine. And as a result, our foreign policy decision-making has been paralyzed, and our country's voice in the world is poorly heard and badly out of tune," Lindtman said.

He called on Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's government to take "immediate" and "concrete" steps to put pressure on Israel and clarify its stance on recognizing Palestine.

"Finnish foreign policy cannot remain in a state of paralysis," Lindtman added.

He also reiterated the need for the international community and the EU to "immediately pressure" Israel to end its attacks and allow aid trucks into Gaza, urging Finland to push for the suspension of an EU-Israel trade deal.

"Israel's human rights violations are so clear that the EU has every reason to do so based on Article 2 of the agreement, which requires respect for human rights," he stressed.

Last month, Finland's President Alexander Stubb said he is prepared to approve the recognition of Palestine, while the Christian Democrats and the Finns Party opposed such a decision.

Several countries, including France, the UK, Malta, Canada, and Portugal, have announced plans to recognize the Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly meeting in New York in September.

Israel has killed nearly 61,800 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.